Contemporary digital apparatus include, for example, cell phones, mobile telephones, digital personal organizers, and personal data assistants (PDAs). An example of a mobile telephone in illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mobile telephone being indicated generally by 10. The telephone 10 includes a display screen 20, for example implemented using liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, for displaying information such as text and images to a user of the telephone 10. Moreover, the telephone 10 further includes a keyboard indicated generally by 30 for inputting data into the telephone 10, for example numerical data for dialing and text for special messaging service (SMS). Other component parts of the telephone include a microphone 40 and a loudspeaker 50 coupled to a data processor 60. Moreover, the telephone 10 also includes an antenna 70 coupled to radio frequency circuits 80 coupled in turn to the data processor 60 of the telephone 10 for enabling the telephone 10 to communicate by wireless to a mobile telephone network (not shown); such communication to the mobile telephone network is implemented at a radio communication frequency in an order of 1 GHz. Optionally, the telephone 10 is also capable of communicating directly via a wireless interface 90 coupled to the data processor 60 with other devices in close spatial proximity to the telephone 10, for example in a range of a few meters by way of proprietary Blue Tooth or similar protocol, namely at a radio communication frequency of 13.56 MHz. Such other devices include, for example, an earphone and microphone headset enabling “hands-of” operation of the telephone 10.
Personal data assistants (PDAs) are generally similar to the mobile telephone 10 described in the foregoing, except that components for enabling the PDAs to communicate with a mobile telephone network are omitted. However, it is conventional practice that PDAs are operable to communicate locally thereto in a wireless manner, for example by using a Blue Tooth protocol, to other digital apparatus, for example personal computers (PCs) and lap-top computers, for example for data synchronization purposes.
Digital apparatus such as mobile telephones and personal data assistants are becoming progressively more complex with time as manufacturers include more powerful data processors and more memory therein. Moreover, such apparatus has now attained a sufficient degree of sophistication that software applications, for example written in Java or Java script, can be downloaded thereto for performing special functions which can be optionally executed in response to users' commands. For example, some mobile telephones include text editing software to assist with preparation of SMS messages which can be stored in data memory included within the telephones.
In order to provide mobile telephone products and personal data assistant products which are desirable to contemporary users, manufacturers of such products have sought to produce progressively more compact digital apparatus. A consequence of such miniaturization is that the aforementioned keyboard 30 has evolved by one or more of: including more user depressible keys, employing keys of smaller physical size, employing multifunction keys. Moreover, a further consequence of such miniaturization is that the aforementioned display screen 20 is of increased pixel resolution for presenting finer detail. Such evolution of the keyboard 30 and the display 20 results in problems for users with diminished eyesight and lack of finger nimbleness experiencing difficulty when working with contemporary digital apparatus such as mobile telephones and personal data assistants. In order to address such problems, it is contemporary practice to provide users with a pointed stylus for depressing miniature keys and also with optical magnifies, for example magnifying lenses for observing miniature displays. Moreover, multifunction keys are susceptible to reducing a total number of keys require but renders user data entry laborious unless users have superlative finger nimbleness.
In the foregoing, local digital communication via Blue Tooth or similar protocol is described. Other classes of devices employing such protocol include radio frequency identification devices (RFID). Near-field communication (NFC) is also known. NFC technology is based on a combination of contactless identification technology akin to RFID and various connection technologies. Standards have become established which define how devices employing such technologies can inter-operate to form peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. NFC operates in a frequency range in an order of 13.56 MHz over a distance of typically a few centimeters. Moreover, efforts have been hitherto applied to standardize NFC-technology; such standards include ISO 18092, ISO 21481, ECMA (340, 352 and 356) and ETSI TS 102 190. Furthermore, such NFC-technology is also compatible with contactless infrastructure for smartcards based on a standard ISO 14443 A, including Philips' MIFARE-technology and Sony's FeliCa-card.
In a published international PCT application no. PCT/US99/29362 (WO 00/36849), there is described a hand held passive remote programmer for a microprocessor-controlled induction-type radio frequency identification (RFID) reader. The reader includes a rigid molded housing including an antenna denoted by a capacitor C1 and an inductor L1, together with a plurality of dedicated integrated-circuit RFID transponder tags IC1 to IC16. Each transponder tag has an unique code associated therewith. Moreover, the housing also includes a keypad having a plurality of keys. Each key is selectively operable to connect directly a corresponding one of the transponder tags to the antenna for providing power to the selected tag by induction in a radio frequency sensitive field of a RFID reader. The RFID reader is thereby capable of determining in operation when one or more of the keys are depressed by a user of the remote programmer. Program instructions stored in the RFID reader recognize each unique tag as representative of actuation of a particular key on the remote programmer keypad. Actuation of particular keys or key sequences of the programmer are recognized by the RFID reader as program instructions for the reader's microprocessor.
Other remote wireless keyboards are known. For example, in a published U.S. Pat. No. 6,133,833, there is described a wireless keyboard or keypad which is powered remotely by a radio frequency exciter/receiver. The wireless keyboard is adapted for use in a radio frequency identification system. Moreover, the wireless keyboard and the exciter/receiver communicate without wires via electrostatic or electromagnetic radiation. No power source is integrated with the wireless keypad. It is alleged that the wireless keypad is readily added to, or retrofitted into, an existing radio frequency identification system. The keyboard has a plurality of keys or control members that are manually actuated. Depression of a key or button causes a predetermined response signal associated with that key or button to be generated. The response signal relates to an operation for a device or system associated with the exciter/receiver. Implementation of the wireless keyboard involves coupling an antenna comprising an inductor and a capacitor directly to an array of RFID devices which are selectively connected to the antenna in response to keys or buttons being user-actuated.
Such wireless keyboard and passive remote controller as described in the foregoing are of relatively larger physical size in comparison to a mobile telephone or personal data assistant, such larger size representing a technical problem. Moreover, such keyboard and controller are often implemented such that a mobile telephone or personal data assistant (PDA) would not be capable of coupling sufficiently well to provide power to the keyboard or passive controller.